Paul Cook was appointed as manager on 31 May 2017, signing a 3-year deal, following the departure of much of the previous coaching staff the day before.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.

As of 27 June 2017, Wigan Athletic have announced four pre-season friendlies against Southport, Notts County, Grimsby Town[44] and Liverpool.

[45] On 27 June 2017, the originally planned trip to Hartlepool United was cancelled due to too many long distance away matches as the season approaches.

Source: [citation needed] On 16 October 2017, Wigan Athletic were drawn at home to Crawley Town in the first round.